Christy Martin: Boxer and Domestic Violence Survivor

The Voice of Silence: Christy Martin and the Night of Violence

The story of Christy Martin, the legendary boxer, is a tale of triumph, but also of a night of horror that changed her life forever. In a quiet suburb of Apopka, Florida, on November 23, 2010, the champion faced an unimaginable nightmare in her own home. It was 5:31 p.m. when James Martin, her husband, attacked her with a knife. The brutality of the attack was such that, at first, Christy did not realize she had been stabbed. The speed and precision of the blade were relentless. She received multiple wounds, one of them in the chest. In the midst of the chaos, Jim hit her, cut off her leg, and, in a moment of desperation, Christy tried to defend herself and grabbed her own gun, a 9mm Taurus, which she kept between the mattresses. Jim snatched the gun from her and hit her in the jaw with the butt.

Mother, you can’t kill me.

Christy Martin

After uttering those challenging words, Jim shot Christy in the chest, a few inches from her heart. As she bled out, he tried to erase the evidence and abandoned her, leaving her to her fate. Miraculously, Christy managed to escape. Wounded, she left the house and stopped a car to ask for help. She was taken to the emergency room, where doctors fought to save her life.

Ten years later, in a restaurant in Austin, Texas, Christy reflects on her life. She remembers her boxing career, her induction into the Hall of Fame, and her tough childhood in West Virginia. She remembers the effort and dedication that led her to the top.

Christy recounts how she met James Martin. He became her coach and, subsequently, her husband. What began as a professional opportunity turned into a relationship of control and abuse. Jim isolated her, manipulated her, and stole her freedom. Christy’s story is a raw and courageous denunciation of domestic violence.

Christy managed to escape that nightmare, but the emotional scars remain. The nightmare of that night haunts her in her dreams, constantly reminding her of the danger she faced. Despite everything, Christy has found the strength to move forward.

The boxer, who was a sensation outside the ring, has found refuge in her relationship with Lisa Holewyne, her wife. Together, they fight the ghosts of the past and rebuild their lives. Christy Martin is an example of resilience and courage, a survivor who has transformed pain into strength.

In the hospital, doctors fought to stabilize Martin. His lung, punctured in two places, initially refused to re-inflate. Once it was possible, a medical team flew Martin to a larger trauma hospital in Orlando, where surgeons reattached his leg, warning that he might not walk again. They sewed up the lacerations on his head and side, and reattached his ear. The bullet in his chest would remain for a few more weeks, until the police needed it for evidence. The Salters family arrived in Florida the next day and spoke with the local sheriff. Martin had been admitted under a different name for her protection.